A mother-of-two who ended up on anti-depressants when her children were diagnosed with a congenital condition, is calling on struggling parents to seek help through a free support service. 

Trina Kelly, of Frankland Road, Chingford, is one of 11 parents with disabled children in Waltham Forest to team up disability charity Scope as part of its new befriender service. 

Face 2 Face offers emotional support and practical guidance to parents with disabled children and was rolled out across Waltham Forest and Redbridge yesterday with an event at Valentines Mansion in Ilford. 

The volunteers have children with a range of disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down's syndrome and other degenerative conditions.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

The team of Face 2 Face befrienders who have trained to help parents in Waltham Forest and Redbridge

Mrs Kelly's two children Adam, 16, and Lucy, 12, were born with Albinism as both her and husband, Ray, had a faulty gene affecting skin pigmentation. 

Both children, who attend Highams Park School in Handsworth Avenue, have very limited vision beyond two metres and rely on magnifiers to cope with work. 

Besides support from friends and family and textbook answers from professionals, Mrs Kelly said she had no-one to turn to, making her life "incredibly lonely, scary and stressful". 

"I felt like my whole world had fallen apart," said the 42-year-old. 

"It wasn't so much the Albinism, it was more the diagnoses that Adam was blind.  

"Naturally, I blamed myself and felt totally isolated as I beat myself up about it for a good few years.  

"Family and friends were very helpful but there was no-one there that really understood what we were going through. 

"If I'd had access to Face 2 Face mine and my family’s lives would have been a lot happier and less stressful.  

"I ended up on anti-depressants and having to see a counsellor, because I felt like a total failure as a mother." 

Research by Scope suggests 80 per cent of parents with disabled children can reach breaking point, resulting in depression or family separation by not having the emotional support they need. 

Mrs Kelly added: "It is a brilliant service that is well overdue and will give someone a shoulder to cry on. 

"If parents use this service, it will help relieve the pressure and they will be happier at home and with family life." 

For more information about Face 2 Face, visit www.scope.org.uk/face2face